1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a layout modeling system for a transport system, and more particularly, to a layout modeling system for a transport system which allows the transport system to implement optimum efficiency.
2. Description of the Related Art
A transport system is herein defined as a system that transports an article from a starting position to a target position along a real layout, which is an area for a transport route of the article.
A layout modeling system having information corresponding to the layout is necessary to implement the transport system.
Hereinafter, a layout modeling system for a transport system will be described based on a layout according to an example of a transport system as shown in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, a real layout 1 according to an example of the transport system includes two transport routes 6a and 6b provided in a production line and formed in a closed loop. The real layout 1 includes a processing equipment 3 provided adjacent to the transport routes 6a and 6b to process a transported article, a plurality of storehouses 11, 21 and 31 to transport and stock the article, and a plurality of vehicles 8a and 8b to travel on the transport routes 6a and 6b to transport the article.
The transport routes 6a and 6b include a first transport route 6a installed on the ground and a second transport route 6b installed in an overhead type device.
The transport vehicles 8a and 8b include a plurality of first transport vehicles 8a to travel on the first transport route 6a and a plurality of second transport vehicles 8b to travel on the second transport route 6b to transport the article.
The processing equipment 3 is installed adjacent to the first transport route 6a, and has a processing equipment port 4 to receive the article transported by the first transport vehicles 8a or to transport a processed article to the first transport vehicles 8a. 
The storehouses 11, 21 and 31 include a first storehouse 11 and a second storehouse 21 provided adjacent to the first transport route 6a and the second transport route 6b, and a third storehouse 31 provided adjacent to the second transport route 6b. 
The first storehouse 11 has a first port 13 and a second port 15 to transport the article from or to the first and the second transport vehicles 8a and 8b traveling on the first and the second transport route 6a and 6b. The first storehouse 11 also has a first shelf 19 to stock thereon the transported article, and a first crane 17 provided in the first storehouse 11 to transport the article between the first port 13, the second port 15, and the first shelf 19.
The second storehouse 21, like the first storehouse 11, has a third port 23 and a fourth port 25 to transport the article from or to the first and the second transport vehicles 8a and 8b traveling on the first and the second transport routes 6a and 6b. The second storehouse 21 also has a second shelf 29 to stock thereon the transported article, and a second crane 27, provided in the second storehouse 21 to transport the article between the third port 23, the fourth port 25, and the second shelf 29.
The third storehouse 31 has a fifth port 33 to transport the article from or to the second transport vehicle 8b traveling on the second transport route 6b, a third shelf 39 to stock thereon the transported article, and a third crane 37 provided in the third storehouse 31 to transport the article between the fifth port 33 and the third shelf 39.
With the above configuration, the real layout 1 according to the transport system described above allows an article to be transported by the first and the second transport vehicles 8a and 8b traveling on the first and the second transport routes 6a and 6b. 
A layout modeling system 140 for a conventional transport system will be described based on the layout according to the transport system describe above with reference to FIG. 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, the layout modeling system 140 for the conventional transport system has first through sixth nodes 151–156 to correspond to respective ports at which an article is transported (that is, the processing equipment port 4, and first through fifth ports 13, 15, 23, 25, and 33).
According to a route selecting method of using the nodes, an appropriate route is selected from transport route data (TABLE 1) which registers all routes allowing an article to be transported. The route selecting method is repeatedly performed, to thereby enable a final route to be selected.
The following TABLE 1 shows the transport route data according to the layout modeling system 140 for the conventional transport system shown in FIG. 2.
TABLE 1Transport route1st node 151 → 2nd node 1521st node 151 → 4th node 1542nd node 152 → 1st node 1512nd node 152 → 3rd node 1532nd node 152 → 4th node 1543rd node 153 → 2nd node 1523rd node 153 → 5th node 1553rd node 153 → 6th node 1564th node 154 → 1st node 1514th node 154 → 2nd node 1524th node 154 → 5th node 1555th node 155 → 3rd node 1535th node 155 → 4th node 1545th node 155 → 6th node 1566th node 156 → 3rd node 1536th node 156 → 5th node 155
With the above configuration, in the layout modeling system 140 for the conventional transport system, route selection using the TABLE 1 will be described below.
As an example, it is assumed that an order in which the starting position of an article corresponds to the processing equipment 3 and the target position of the article corresponds to the third storehouse 31. An appropriate route then is selected by searching all available transport routes in the TABLE 1 to select the transport route from the first node 151 corresponding to the processing equipment port 4 to the sixth node 156 corresponding to the fifth port 33 of the third storehouse 31. Herein, a standard for an optimum route selection is based on a transport distance. That is, transport routes available at the first node 151 are the transport routes from the first node 151 to the second node 152 and the fourth node 154. If the second node 152 is selected as an appropriate transport route, the second node 152 selects a following transport route in the same way as the first node 151, to thereby enable the optimum route to be selected.
Thus, in the layout modeling system 140 for the conventional transport system, the article is transported along the optimum route selected by using the TABLE 1.
However, according to the layout modeling system for the conventional transport system, the transport route data on the TABLE 1 has to be written by hand to implement the transport system. Accordingly, if the size of the transport route data is large, writing by hand becomes a very labor- and time-consuming job.
Also, when being implemented by hand, the layout modeling system for the conventional transport system cannot select an optimum transport route because it cannot reflect all kinds of real-time information once a final route is selected.